Scientist, Microbiology

 About the company

Fieldstone Bio is an early-stage synthetic biology company focused on environmental monitoring. Our technology, which originated at MIT, combines microbiology, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and advanced imagery to solve key challenges in mining, agriculture, pollution surveillance, and national security.

Position summary

Fieldstone Bio is looking for a highly motivated Microbiologist to join our growing team, where they will test the diverse functions of our engineered microbial-based sensors. The successful candidate will independently contribute to the development and implementation of different assays intended to discern functional output of a variety of engineered non-model microorganisms. This is a hands-on, lab-based role that will work collaboratively with the company’s Synthetic Biology team and AI Data team. This role provides a unique opportunity to impact the development of research strategies at an early-stage biotechnology company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and execute cell-based assays to screen for the function of engineered microbial strains
• Lead development and innovation of novel strategies for assessing microbial function in non-traditional environments
• Drive decision-making experiments regarding microbial chassis deployment in application-relevant environments
• Assist Synthetic Biology team with cloning and strain construction
• Ensure timely delivery of goals for set milestones
• Document processes, results, and entity registration in an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) system

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Microbiology, Bioengineering, Molecular Biology, or a related field
• 1+ years’ of experience with assessment of engineered microorganisms in an industry setting (strongly preferred)
• Prior hands-on experience working with non-model microorganisms is required, with plant and soil-associated microbe experience preferred
• Experience with microbial characterization
• Assay development for non-model microorganisms
• Proficient with different cloning strategies, including Golden Gate and Gibson assembly and different DNA sequencing techniques
• Experience with scale-up or fermentation of microorganisms a plus
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and outside-of-the-box thinking
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Versatile and flexible scientist who thrives in a fast-paced and collaborative lab environment

Fieldstone Bio is committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.